by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY GIRLS PAIRINGS

CLASS 5A

Wylie vs. Amarillo, 6 p.m., Monday, Lubbock Christian
Cooper vs. Lubbock Monterey, 6 p.m., Tuesday, Big Spring 

CLASS 4A

Bridgeport vs. Stephenville, 8 p.m., Monday, College Park Center, College Park Center, UT Arlington
Snyder vs. Burkburnett, 6 p.m., Monday at Breckenridge.
Brownwood vs. Decatur, 6 p.m., Tuesday, Breckenridge
Big Spring vs. Wichita Falls Hirschi,  8 p.m.,  Tuesday,  Anson
Sweetwater vs. Graham, 6 p.m., Tuesday, Clyde

CLASS 3A

Merkel vs. Bangs, 7:30 p.m., Monday,  McMurry University
Coahoma vs Cisco, Monday, 6 pm. at Merkle
Eastland vs. Colorado City, 6 p.m., Monday, Clyde
Wall vs. Tornillo, 4:30 p.m., Monday, Fort Stockton
Brock vs. Holliday, 6 p.m., Tuesday, Chico
Ballinger vs. Kermit, 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Rankin
Jim Ned vs. Hamilton 6 p.m., Tuesday, Cross Plains
Brock vs. Holliday, 6 p.m., Tuesday, Chico

CLASS 2A

Stamford vs Forsan, 6:30 p.m., Monday, Hermleigh
Albany vs. Eldorado, 6:30 p.m., Monday, Bronte
Haskell vs. Miles, 6:30 p.m., Monday, Colorado City
San Saba vs. San Antonio Stacey, 7 p.m., Monday, Ingram Moore HS
Cross Plains vs. Christoval, 6:30 p.m., Monday, Jim Ned
Hico vs Seymour, 6 p.m., Tuesday, Mineral Wells
De Leon vs. Archer City, 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Mineral Wells
Goldthwaite vs. Windthorst, 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Weatherford 

CLASS 1A

Blackwell, bye
Hermleigh, bye
Aspermont, bye
Munday, bye
Hamlin vs. Westbrook, 7:45 p.m. Monday, Merkel
Highland vs. Roby, 8 p.m. Tuesday, Hermleigh
Benjamin vs. Matador Motley County, 8 p.m. Tuesday, Crowell
Priddy, bye
Eula, bye
May, bye
Throckmorton vs. Henrietta Midway, 6 p.m. Monday, Archer City
Brookesmith vs. Jonesboro, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dublin
Huckabay vs. Strawn, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dublin
Baird vs. Gorman, 8 p.m. Tuesday, Clyde

 

by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Expectations sky high for Cooper freshman Speights

First-year Cooper girls basketball coach Arsenio Geter isn’t shy in his praise of point guard Kyla Speights. Nor is he particularly worried about overloading the freshman’s plate.

In fact, he’s already calling her the future of his program.

But Geter only puts those expectations — and the accompanying pressure — on Speights because he firmly believes she can handle it. And because he wants to make sure she understands the types of things she’s capable of and the enormous potential she has.

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Fourth-quarter woes doom AHS boys in loss to Trinity

EULESS — Playing Euless Trinity on Friday with a chance to clinch at least a share of the District 3-6A championship, the Abilene High boys basketball team suffered a disappointing setback in its final game of the regular season.

Leading 31-28 at halftime and 42-40 after three quarters, the Eagles were outscored 22-9 over the final eight minutes to fall 62-51 for just their second district loss of the season.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie boys push District 4-5A champ Rider before falling 44-38

Coming off a disappointing 44-41 loss to Wichita Falls High, the Wylie boys basketball team gave District 4-5A champion Wichita Falls Rider all it could handle Friday before falling 44-38 at Bulldog Gym.

The Bulldogs took a 27-24 lead into halftime and were still within three points in the final minute, before the Raiders finally closed out the come-from-behind win at the free-throw line.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Cooper girls stifle Wylie down stretch to take District 4-5A’s No. 3 seed

Leading Wylie 40-37 with 4½ minutes remaining Friday at Abilene High’s Eagle Gym, the Cooper girls basketball team kept the Lady Bulldogs off the board for the next four minutes to secure a 46-42 win and lock up the No. 3 seed out of District 4-5A.

The Lady Cougars, who shared the district title with Wylie, Aledo and Wichita Falls Rider, bounced back from a 32-24 loss to Aledo on the first day of a four-team seeding tournament Thursday to beat their crosstown rival a day later and avoid a first-round playoff matchup with top-ranked and defending state champion Amarillo High.

That burden will instead fall to the Lady Bulldogs, who dropped a 48-32 decision to Rider on Thursday.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Eula escapes Baird with district-clinching win

BAIRD — When perennial power Eula came to Baird on Friday with a No. 7 statewide ranking and a 24-5 record, few gave the upstart Bears, with three players overcoming illnesses, much of a shot. 

By evening’s end, however, the Pirates were counting themselves as fortunate to escape with a 58-47 win and Eula coach Josh Fostel was pleased to see his top-seeded crew get a much-needed challenge. 

Jayton Jones scored 21 points, including six 3-pointers and David Phillips dropped in 18 more to lead Eula (25-5, 9-0 District 20-1A), which locked up the district title with the win. 

Baird (15-6, 7-2), which whittled a 27-point first-half deficit to only four by the 3:00 mark of the fourth quarter, was led by Max Dayton with 13 points and Aaron Halburton with 11. 

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by Evan Ren

FEATURE: Reynolds, O’Shields giving basketball touch to football-heavy Hawley

HAWLEY — It could be argued that the Hawley basketball team is more a collection of highly athletic football players than a refined group of hoopsters.

That point has been made, and in some circles, it’s even agreed upon. 

But there are two undeniable facts about this Hawley club that may push it deep into postseason play. Firstly, the Bearcats, regardless of style, are good — entering Friday’s game at Haskell with a 12-7 overall record and a 6-2 mark in District 8-2A. 

Secondly, the backcourt tandem of Jaron Reynolds and Kason O’Shields has enough basketball polish to compensate for any lack of finesse Hawley’s bruising frontcourt may have. But they are not carrying as much of the load as one may think.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie, Cooper girls fall to open District 4-5A seeding tournament

GRAHAM — It was a rough night for local teams on Day 1 of the District 4-5A girls basketball seeding tournament, and both Cooper and Wylie will have a Day 2 as a result.

Hoping to win their semifinal game to earn one of the district’s top-two playoff seeds and avoid having to play on Friday, the Lady Bulldogs dropped a 48-32 decision to Wichita Falls Rider in Thursday’s first game before the Lady Cougars fell 32-24 to Aledo in the nightcap.

Cooper and Wylie, which earned a four-way share of the district title with Rider and Aledo, will now meet at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Abilene High to decide who takes 4-5A’s No. 3 seed and avoids top-ranked Amarillo High in next week’s bi-district playoff. 

Aledo and Rider flipped for the No. 1 seed, with the former taking that distinction.

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Abilene High’s McGee stepping out of brother’s shadow, into spotlight

As a seventh-grader in 2016, Abilene High point guard Jalen McGee got to watch his brother, Calvin, lead the Eagles to a 31-5 record and a district championship in his final high school season.

With a win Friday at Euless Trinity, the younger McGee and his AHS teammates would get to celebrate the school’s first district title since then.

That feat would add yet another parallel between the high school careers of the McGee brothers, who bear their share of similarities — both in playing style and achievement. But as inevitable — and, to a certain degree, flattering — as the comparison is, Jalen would just as soon be judged on the merits of his own play.

The junior standout, who like his big brother made the Eagles varsity as a freshman, has been working since then to make his own name at Abilene High. And much of the success of the 2019-20 AHS squad, which enters Friday’s matchup at 23-9 overall and 10-1 in District 3-6A play, can be attributed to the strides McGee has made in that pursuit.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY BOYS STATISTICAL LEADERS (Scoring, rebounds, assists and steals through Feb. 13)

Big Country Preps publishes area boys and girls basketball statistical leaders each Thursday at 7 p.m.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

Teams that do not submit their statistics in a given week will not be listed when our stats are posted, but will be added to the lists below as they are received in the coming days. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

BCP Podcast No. 81: Evan, Daniel talk Ballinger boys hoops with coach Jamal Anene

In his four years as Ballinger’s boys basketball coach, Jamal Anene has built the Bearcats into a consistent playoff team. The same is true this year of BHS, which enters a big game Friday against San Angelo TLCA at 23-8 overall and 8-2 in District 4-3A.

Earlier this week, Anene took a few minutes to chat with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about this season, his goals for the program and his unique background for the Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.

Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss the end of the girls basketball regular season and some of the biggest storylines in the final week of boys district games.

by Evan Ren

FEATURE: Haskell Maidens say goodbye to Teepee; boys to follow next week

HASKELL — Since 1956, the Haskell boys and girls basketball teams have been housed in what has often been described as the noisiest venue in the entire Big Country. 

Known unofficially in some circles as “The Teepee,” the Haskell gym, with its angled walls at the baseline and pitched roof, does bear some resemblance to the conical tents once used by Native American tribes of the Great Plains.

The sound inside, however, is closer to that of a 747 at takeoff than a powwow. 

Those days are rapidly coming to a close and by next week, the facility will have hosted its last varsity game. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Wylie girls rout Wichita Falls High, Bulldogs drop close one

The Wylie girls basketball team wrapped up the regular season with a dominant performance Tuesday at Bulldog Gym, blasting Wichita Falls High 57-27 to improve to 18-14 overall and 5-3 in District 4-5A play.

The victory, combined with Aledo’s 41-36 win over Wichita Falls Rider on Tuesday, put the Lady Bulldogs in a four-way tie for first in the 4-5A standings with Aledo, Rider and Cooper. Those four teams will play a seeding tournament later this week at site to be determined.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High boys, girls sweep Weatherford on Senior Night

It took the Abilene High boys basketball team a little while to find a rhythm Tuesday against Weatherford’s zone defense. But once the Eagles got going, points came in bunches in a 72-29 win at Eagle Gym.

Leading just 10-6 after a quarter and 24-13 at halftime, AHS exploded for 29 points in the third quarter to run away from the Kangaroos for a blowout victory on Senior Night.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Brock sweeps Breckenridge in district doubleheader.

BROCK — The Breckenridge Buckaroos arrived in Brock ready to play on Tuesday, with a No. 2 seed in the playoffs in the balance. 

They left in third place, after seeing a strong early effort was gradually whittled away by a Brock inside game for which they had no solution in a 58-41 win for the Eagles. 

Brock’s win in the boys game capped a two-game varsity sweep for the Eagles, who also took the girls game 68-20 before the boys took the floor. 

Nathan Jones scored 15 points and Zane Cook added 12 more to pace Brock (24-9, 10-2), which holds a one-game lead on Breckenridge for the No. 2 seed in district with two games to play, along with a tie-breaker by virtue of a season sweep of the Buckaroos.

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by Mike Lee, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Stamford girls have won 22 games with extremely young lineup

Coaching or following a sports team that is talented but still young can feel like a double-edged sword. Or taste sweet and sour at the same time. Or look beautifully in sync one minute and completely chaotic the next.

There are a lot more successes than failures, but the losses are tough because the team is working its way through growing pains.

The Stamford Lady Bulldogs were 22-7 overall and 7-2 in District 8-2A games through last week. Despite starting four sophomores and one freshman, they have secured a solid No. 2 seeding for the upcoming Class 2A playoffs behind perennial power Haskell, 27-3 and ranked No. 8 in the state.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Priddy’s Evans takes award after leading Lady Pirates to district title

While the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches does not have the Priddy girls basketball team ranked at the moment, the Lady Pirates (20-7, 11-0 District 17-1A) are making enough noise to get noticed. 

And with last week’s sweep of Lometa (51-29) and Cherokee (59-52), it’s beginning to look as though PHS is capable of doing some postseason damage. 

Our Player of the Week, senior Linda Evans, led that charge with a combined 60 points through two games, including a 36-point effort with four assists in a district-title clinching win over Cherokee. 

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by Mike Lee, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Versatile forward Lenard does it all for Snyder

The Texas weather that dumped 12 inches of snow on Snyder last week and postponed the District 5-4A boys basketball showdown against Midland Greenwood until Saturday may be unpredictable. But the performance of Snyder senior Teafale Lenard is always consistent regardless of the weather.

Known simply as “T” around his hometown, the 6-foot-6 Lenard leads the Tigers in scoring at 15 points per game, steals at 2.5 per game and blocked shots at 2.3. He ranks second on the team in rebounds at 4.6 per game and assists at 2.7.

Lenard scored 11 points Saturday as defending district champion Snyder avenged an earlier district loss to Greenwood, 53-44. Both teams are 5-1 in district with two games remaining and could be headed toward a seeding game for the upcoming playoffs.

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN: This week in Big Country girls basketball (Feb. 10-16)

With the first round of the playoff slated to begin Feb. 17, we now enter the final week of the regular season on the girls side. 

By the end of the week, Big Country Preps will be gathering pairing information and monitoring area tie-breakers, of which there will be several. 

In the meantime, let’s have a quick look at what’s on tap:  

Continue reading “EVAN REN: This week in Big Country girls basketball (Feb. 10-16)” →

by Daniel Youngblood

DANIEL YOUNGBLOOD: This week in Big Country boys basketball (Feb. 10-16)

It seems like basketball just started a few weeks ago, but — believe it or not — we’re down to the final two weeks of the boys hoops regular season.

And with just three more dates remaining before the playoffs begin, the urgency has never been higher for area teams. Whether they’re fighting for a district title, jockeying to improve playoff seeding or just trying to find a way into the postseason bracket, Big Country squads will have plenty to play for in jam-packed Tuesday and Friday slates this week.

Without wasting any more time, let’s take a look at what the schedule has in store.

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Big Spring star Seymore’s game shaped by ceaseless work ethic

Coming off a sophomore season in which he averaged 15.6 points, 4.2 assists, four rebounds and three steals per game, Big Spring’s Kyler Seymore entered this season as an established standout.

And playing an even bigger role for coach Kris Hise’s squad as a junior, he’s been defended like one by opponents.

But if the extra attention or responsibility have been an issue for the 6-foot-2 guard, he’s done an awfully good job of hiding it. In fact, last year’s All-Big Country Preps Newcomer of the Year is playing more like an MVP candidate this year for the “Showtime Steers.”

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by Evan Ren

FEATURE: Young Lady Hawks growing in new system under Richardson

WALL — When first-year Wall girls basketball coach Kevin Richardson was hired to replace the highly successful Tate Lombard in June, he knew he was being given the keys to a basketball Ferrari. 

He knew there would be expectations. He knew there would be pressure. 

And that’s just the way he wanted it. 

Lombard, who resigned last spring to join the staff of his father (legendary girls coach Joe Lombard) in Canyon, charted more than 200 wins and two Class 3A state titles during his tenure at Wall. 

That left Richardson with one of the toughest acts to follow in all of Texas high school girls basketball. 

Richardson, however, who had coached at Class 3A Canadian for 18 seasons prior to coming to WHS, was comfortable with it all. So comfortable, in fact, that he didn’t hesitate to introduce a new system at a place that had known nothing but success for decades. 

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by Evan Ren

FEATURE: Breckenridge’s Medina given the green light to attack at any time

BRECKENRIDGE — He has quietly become the top scorer in the Big Country, at least from the perspective of most area fans.

But make no mistake, opposing coaches are keenly aware of Breckenridge senior guard Aaryn Medina, and have utilized virtually every known method to slow him down, to no avail. 

Medina, who tops the area scoring chart with a 23.7 point-per-game average, may not be on your personal radar screen. Having missed much of last basketball season with a broken tibia suffered during football, his name seldom surfaced in media circles. And even after he did return, he was less than 100 percent while still recovering from the injury.

He is also notably efficient. So efficient, in fact, that he is taking a rather inconspicuous 15 shots per game — far fewer shots than most top scorers would take over the course of 32 minutes. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Snyder boys rally for big win over Greenwood, grab share of 5-4A lead

SNYDER — Needing a win over Midland Greenwood to earn a share of District 5-4A lead, the Snyder boys basketball couldn’t have gotten off to a much worse start Saturday at Tiger Gymnasium.

Fortunately for coach Lee Scott’s squad — and those in the stands cheering loudly for it — games last 32 minutes, not 12.

Trailing 25-16 at the 4:35 mark of the second quarter, after falling behind by as many as 11 in the opening period, the Tigers closed the first half on a 12-2 run to take their first lead just before the halftime buzzer and controlled the second half from start to finish to score a 53-44 win.

The victory pulled Snyder (15-13 overall, 5-1 in district) even with Greenwood atop the 5-4A standings with two games remaining.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Wall sweeps big doubleheader at Ballinger (w/ box scores, videos)

BALLINGER — Wall locked up one district title and put itself into the driver’s seat in another with a varsity doubleheader sweep at Ballinger on Friday.

Facing a pair of upstart programs on the road, WHS opened the evening with a 41-26 win in the girls game, and followed that with a 52-45 boys victory in the nightcap.

Kamryn Williams scored 15 points and Kylie Phillips added 10 more to lead the Lady Hawks (22-7, 12-0 District 4-3A), which concluded an unbeaten run through district play with the win. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: McGee’s buzzer beater lifts AHS boys over Haltom

HALTOM CITY — Jalen McGee hit a long pull-up jumper just before the buzzer on Friday to lift the Abilene High boys basketball team to a 46-44 win over Haltom City Haltom in a key District 3-6A road game.

With the game tied at 44-all, the junior point guard dribbled the ball past midcourt and hesitated for a moment before driving just inside the 3-point line and pulling up just beyond the right elbow. A Haltom post player contested the shot, but McGee’s jumper found nothing but net to help the Eagles improve to 22-9 overall and 9-1 in league play.

Those points, McGee’s 18th and 19th of the game, completed a come-from-behind win for the Eagles, who trailed 17-5 after a rough first quarter.

https://twitter.com/ahseaglehoops/status/1225984878291963904

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIGNING DAY: Trio of Wylie athletes make college decisions official

Wylie seniors Cason Hanna (football) and Austin Green (track) will be continuing their athletic careers in town at Hardin-Simmons while Dayton Barnes will be traveling a little farther after signing to play football at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa.

The trio made those college decisions official Friday during a signing day ceremony in the Wylie High School cafeteria.

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIGNING DAY: Six Abilene High Eagles headed to Hardin-Simmons

Six Abilene High football players will be trading their black and gold for purple and gold after announcing their intentions to continue playing collegiately at Hardin-Simmons during a signing day ceremony Friday at the Chuck Moser Field House. 

Offensive linemen Khalil Spivey and Jaxon Smith, defensive end Dylan Wright, safeties Colton Wilson and Jorge Hernandez, and running back Davonta Mayse all chose to extend their time as teammates a few more years, accepting offers to play for coach Jesse Burleson and the Division III powerhouse Cowboys.

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIGNING DAY: Eight Cooper Cougars announce college destinations

After helping the Cooper football team to an 11-win season in the fall, eight members of the Cougar senior class will be taking their talents to the next level after announcing their college decisions during a signing day ceremony Friday at Cougar Gym.

The ceremony, which was delayed two days by the snowstorm that hit Abilene early Wednesday morning, saw all-state cornerback Dylon Davis sign to play for Division II Midwestern State, linebacker Aeneas Favors accept a preferred walk-on opportunity with Division I Oklahoma State and six others commit to stay in town and play for Division III power Hardin-Simmons.

Comprising the list of future HSU Cowboys were the offensive line trio of Devon Cosby, Gage McVey and Justin Smith, the defensive line duo of Colton Grimes and Jorrian Moses, and safety LaDainian Diaz, who recovered from an ACL injury that cost him his junior season to put up big numbers as a senior.

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Wylie guards’ growth spurring Lady Bulldogs’ development

In 19 years of coaching girls basketball, Wylie’s Amy Powell has never experienced a season quite like this one. 

After inheriting a roster with eight seniors in her first year as the Lady Bulldogs’ coach and losing four potential returners in addition to the heavy (but expected) graduation hit, Powell entered the 2019-20 campaign with just two varsity lettermen — both frontcourt players.

That left the Wylie girls and their coach with a brand new set of guards — and some massive shoes to fill in the absence of graduated standouts Mary Lovelace, Abbey Henson, Skylar Williams and Madi Latham.

Through a couple of unfortunate injuries and the natural inconsistency that comes with inexperience, that group has performed admirably for the 17-14 Lady Bulldogs. In fact, heading into its regular-season finale on Tuesday just one game behind District 4-5A co-leaders Cooper and Wichita Falls Rider in the loss column, Wylie can thank its guards and their progress for much of the success it has experienced this year.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY GIRLS STATISTICAL LEADERS (Scoring, rebounds, assists and steals through Feb. 7)

Big Country Preps publishes area boys and girls basketball statistical leaders each Thursday at 7 p.m.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

Teams that do not submit their statistics in a given week will not be listed when our stats are posted, but will be added to the lists below as they are received in the coming days. 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY BOYS STATISTICAL LEADERS (Scoring, rebounds, assists and steals through Feb. 7)

Big Country Preps publishes area boys and girls basketball statistical leaders each Thursday at 7 p.m.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

Teams that do not submit their statistics in a given week will not be listed when our stats are posted, but will be added to the lists below as they are received in the coming days. 

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by Evan Ren

FEATURE: Allen helping Coleman to surprising late-season surge

COLEMAN — A month ago, the Coleman Bluekatts were 7-14, languishing near the bottom rung of District 6-3A with a 1-3 league mark (after an 0-2 start) and little hope of reversing the trend. 

But a funny thing happened on the way to writing off the season: Coleman refused to quit. 

Four weeks later, the Bluekatts (12-19) are 5-7 in district, having won three of their four games, including a  29-22 upset of third-place Bangs on Jan. 24. It has been part of a subtle, largely unnoticed, upward swing that now has Coleman threatening to snag the No. 4 seed in the playoffs if it can finish with wins over Early and Hamilton. 

At the heart of it?  A 6-foot junior center, Abbi Allen, who has quietly averaged a double-double in points and rebounds, to go with 130 blocked shots on the season.   

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